BSM for IT Service ManagementTransform your “call center” into an indispensible business-centric service support provider

REAL-WORLD RESULTS

Stanford University realized a 49 percent »reduction in “cost per service ticket” while increasing ticket volume by 64 percent.

Pacific Life adopted best practices for incident, »problem and change, and saved $1.1 million in operational expenses.

Motorola consolidated 25 data centers to one, »while reducing service down-time by 60 percent.

Coldwater Creek enables automatic submission/ »escalation of 1,400 cases per month, freeing agents to focus on IT-related incidents

CNA consolidated its IT service management »tools and processes and realized annual savings of $1.5 million.

ExEcUTivE SUmmARyThe service desk is essential to keeping a business running smoothly and maintaining a competitive edge. As such, IT “request and support” organizations are redefining their core mission to assist the business in driving to new standards, while realizing their goals through an evolution of process efficiency, cost management, and automation. Simultaneously, these same organizations are striving to deliver superior service quality. Doesn’t sound like the same-old help desk, does it? Well, maybe it shouldn’t.

Historically, service support operations have been an integral part of the IT ecosystem. Recently, this role has expanded into increasingly overlapping and interdependent functions, providing IT with an opportunity to take a step back and look at the big picture, including the definition of “service”, from a new perspective. To that end, BMC has created a pragmatic and achievable approach to successfully transform the traditional help desk into a true service partner through the following four areas:

Service Desk Optimization » – Reduce the complexity of supporting IT services through the standardization, consolidation, and simplification of tools, resources, and processes

Service catalog and Request management » – Maintain a catalog of services to streamline requests and improve demand planning

Service Asset Lifecycle management » – Manage costs, improve utilization, and comply with internal and external configuration and usage policies — from initial request through retirement

comprehensive change & Release management » - Plan and manage all changes according to standards, while also enforcing policies and integrating to provisioning

Adopting a program to provide better service to your customers and users is a practical exercise that can be accomplished in small and manageable steps — each one capitalizing on the achievements and benefits of the other service request and support activities.

ARE yOU: Overloading your service desk with »standard, repetitive requests?

Struggling to make sense of conflicting »and non-integrated processes?

Losing track of incidents, root causes, »and changes?

Unable to track and report on IT assets »throughout their lifecycle?

Struggling to assess the impact of »changes on the business?

Failing to get ahead of the IT request »“supply and demand” curve?

WiTh Bmc, yOU WiLL:Deflect calls from the service desk by »providing user self-service.

Standardize your processes to improve »efficiencies, reduce errors, and decrease time to support services.

Create relational visibility into root cause to »eliminate repeated service disruptions.

Improve tracking and reporting to reduce »hardware and software license asset costs.

Increase your agility to rapidly – and »successfully – execute changes

Improve the availability and quality of ser- »vices upon which the business depends.

BUSinESS chALLEngEService-desk, help-desk, call-center, IT-support. These are commonly used titles that, unfortunately, only describe a portion of the overall mission of the service support team. The fact is that support activities have grown in volume and complexity. Service level expectations have peaked at an “always available” level. And, supported services are now more complex than ever before, having morphed into a mixture of onsite and offsite components, externally hosted and internally maintained applications, and global configurations. To make matters worse, IT budgets have decreased over the years, placing added strain on already taxed systems and personnel.

As a result, most organizations are still in a “fire-fighting” mode, performing front-line triage for most of their support activities. After all, how do you take core functional disciplines and refine them individually, while also increasing their interoperability? Doing so is possible, provided you have a prescribed path with demonstrable short-term and long-term milestones that make sense to the business.

hOW Bmc cAn hELpFor more than two decades, BMC has been the leader in the IT support industry. With such a long and proud heritage, BMC has created an achievable value path methodology to transform today’s call-centers into tomorrow’s strategic IT service management partners.

BSM for IT Service Management removes complexity and costs, while also providing visibility into the resources, activities, and priorities required to deliver and support business services. Through innovative technologies, a unified platform, multiple ownership and deployment models, and best practices, BSM for IT Service Management unites fragmented IT service management disciplines to guide you toward greater functional maturity, enriched customer/user experiences, and more efficient management of IT costs.

The key to success is flexibility, agility, and prioritization of resources to meet the demands of the business. BSM for IT Service Management not only capitalizes on BMC’s extensive experience with IT service management, it also extends into all areas of Business Service Management (BSM) — from cloud computing to service cost management and IT governance, risk, and compliance.

Deployed independently or strategically, BMC solutions create the foundation of a cohesive service management infrastructure that contributes to overall IT and business success.

SERvicE DESk OpTimizATiOnThe service desk is not a new concept; most organizations have some form of a service desk already in place. However, it is likely that these same organizations have collected tools, processes, and procedures that have

ThE Bmc DiffEREncE

» Transforms “academic recommendations” into living process flows through embedded and actionable best practices

» Creates the basis for intelligent decision planning with service collision and impact analytics

» Lowers total cost of ownership and increases IT asset compliance by managing usage and policies

» Enhances user and customer productivity and satisfaction with a centralized self-service portal for IT and business needs

» Delivers transparency into the cost and effectiveness of IT request and support services

» Delivers rapid value using out-of-the-box processes, templates, shared service models, and native integrations

manifested into a difficult-to-manage — and expensive — support system that no longer meets the needs of the business.

On the other hand, companies that have successfully grown their service desk operations into an integrated IT Service Management solution have likely done so by standardizing on proven best-practice processes; adopting standard request and support technology; and getting buy-in from the people on the front lines of customer service.

BSM for IT Service Management begins with a self-assessment that explores the possibilities of simplifying current operational processes and support resources. By eliminating redundancies and inefficiencies, barriers are removed, which fosters the inclusion and integration of neighboring disciplines. With the introduction of automation and best practices, support organizations can then move from reactive to proactive processes.

SERvicE cATALOg AnD REqUEST mAnAgEmEnTIt’s no surprise that, in recent years, a significant emphasis has been placed on “doing more with less”. Finding a delicate balance and setting sustainable expectations is the fine line between success and failure. By providing a catalog of self-services offerings for end users, IT can deflect time-consuming, repetitive activities from the service desk. Users can easily find information without assistance, as well as request new services and track the status of their requests.

Although self-service solutions can be implemented independently, the best results are found when they are implemented as part of an overall IT service management strategy and a greater BSM vision. Services delivered through an integrated, centralized, self-service portal become the foundation of an effective self-service strategy. A service catalog maps IT services and components to business-oriented services, and includes multiple processes that are discreet, unified, or related. Once the foundation has been laid, expansion can be readily executed by leveraging automated workflows and fulfillment activities into such areas as asset provisioning, incident and change requests, or financial cost management. A larger audience, including non-IT areas such as finance, HR, or facilities, can also offer services through a common service request management portal.

SERvicE ASSET LifEcycLEAsset management does not happen in a silo — at least it shouldn’t. Asset data and processes need to be connected to other critical areas, such as support, change management, and deployment processes, not to mention key business functions, such as financial planning and strategic supplier management.

By categorizing assets as entities that have a defined lifecycle, procurement, finance, and IT teams can create

kEy BEnEfiTS

» Visibility into IT costs as they relate to business value

» Streamlined service restoration practices

» Reduction in infrastructure management tools

» Reduction in costly and inefficient customizations

» Reduction in process variables and latency

» Adoption and adherence to organizational and industry best practices

» Reduced training and education costs

» Elimination of recurring problems

» Transformation from a cost center to a strategic business partner

*171796*

an effective management relationship focused on cost-effective use of IT assets.

cOmpREhEnSivE chAngE AnD RELEASE mAnAgEmEnTIf the mission of change management is to implement changes as efficiently as possible — and the mission of release management is to ensure that changes are implemented with the intent to keep functionality and service levels aligned with business needs — then why do most IT organizations approach these disciplines as separate activities?

Comprehensive change and release management breaks down these barriers and delivers an integrated solution that enables continuity of service. For example:

Using a service catalog and request solution, user can request a service that generates »a change request.

A technician who made a change to a database server during non-work hours can create »an after-the-fact change request associated with the historic detailed change record.

With workflow automation, an incident or problem ticket can be generated and tied »back to a request or an event.

Configuration and discovery processes can automatically generate change requests if »deviations from standards have been detected.

Asset management tools can automatically generate a change request from a »purchase requisition.

By following recommended best practices, IT will be able to decrease total change process time, while also increasing the amount of successful changes.

LEARn mORE Starting an IT service management initiative is the first step toward improving the customer service experience for your customers — and it is the perfect opportunity to align and manage the total costs of supporting these services. BSM for IT Service Management eliminates isolated activities through an intense focus on utilizing common services, tools, and data to increase performance and productivity. To learn more, please visit www.bmc.com.

BUSinESS RUnS On i.T. i.T. RUnS On Bmc SOfTWARE.Business Runs on IT. IT Runs on BMC Software. Business thrives when IT runs smarter, faster and stronger. That’s why the most demanding IT organizations in the world rely on BMC Software across both distributed and mainframe environments. Recognized as the leader in Business Service Management, BMC offers a comprehensive approach and unified platform that helps IT organizations cut cost, reduce risk and drive business profit. For the four fiscal quarters ended June 30, 2010, BMC revenue was approximately $1.92 billion.

BMC, BMC Software, and the BMC Software logo are the exclusive properties of BMC Software, Inc., are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and may be registered or pending registration in other countries. All other BMC trademarks, service marks, and logos may be registered or pending registration in the U.S. or in other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2010 BMC Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Origin date: 09/10

mETRicS ThAT mATTER

Positive impact reported to the business:

Increased number of calls resolved through »self- service requests (call avoidance)

Reduction in SLA targets missed »

Decreased number of incidents reported »by users and customers, rather than by IT operations

Reduction in number and percentage of »major incidents

Decrease in the number of emergency »changes

Decrease in the average cost per incident »

Increase in the percentage of incidents »closed by Level 1 support